STORY: Dubai chocolate sparks frenzy in Türkiye, land of sweets
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Jan. 10, 2025
LENGTH: 00:03:21
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of people buying and eating Dubai chocolate in a bakery in Türkiye
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): EYLUL TABAY, Baker and Dubai chocolate maker
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): EYLUL TABAY, Baker and Dubai chocolate maker
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): EYLUL TABAY, Baker and Dubai chocolate maker
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish): SEMA EMIROGLU, Customer

STORYLINE:

In Türkiye, a country famous for its sweets and desserts, a new treat has captured the nation's palate: the Dubai chocolate. Filled with pistachios and shredded phyllo dough, this confection has become a sensation that consumers are eager to indulge.

Renowned worldwide for its delicacies such as Baklava and Lokoum, Türkiye has embraced this new trend since late last year. The craze for Dubai chocolate is ubiquitous, from high-end patisseries to budget supermarkets.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): EYLUL TABAY, Baker and Dubai chocolate maker
"People have shown great interest in this chocolate bar. I think that customers are, first and foremost, intrigued by this blend of phyllo dough and chocolate."

When the craze started a couple of months ago, long queues formed outside the Cumhuriyet Lezzet Dunyasi bakery and patisserie, where Tabay prepares the treats, with buyers eager to get their hands on the crunchy bars.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): EYLUL TABAY, Baker and Dubai chocolate maker
"When we first offered this treat, customers queued to get their hands on the chocolate, and the demand was far higher than our production. For many weeks, we have sold out all of our production because of the great demand."

The Dubai chocolate's use of knafeh, a crispy shredded phyllo pastry commonly found in Turkish and Middle Eastern desserts, and pistachio, strongly appeals to local palates, explained the baker.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): EYLUL TABAY, Baker and Dubai chocolate maker
"Our sales are still very good. I believe that demand will drop a little in the future. The frenzy surrounding the Dubai chocolate was because it went viral on social media and people were very curious to taste it. As it is a blend of pistachios and chocolate, Turkish customers liked it a lot. I think this is a trend, but it may still stay around for a long time."

The Dubai chocolate was reportedly created in 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a female entrepreneur. It quickly gained popularity thanks in part to social media influencers sharing videos of themselves degustating these treats and offering comments.

Its success has inspired numerous imitators worldwide, including Türkiye, where major chocolatiers have produced their variety of viral chocolate bars.

Despite being pricier than standard chocolate bars, its popularity shows no signs of slowing down for the moment in Türkiye.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish): SEMA EMIROGLU, Customer
"There is knafeh and chocolate in this bar, and this creates a great taste; I love it! The use of pistachios, knafeh, and chocolate in the same bar is very appealing and tasteful. I always buy some, and I'm buying five bars today."

The frenzy has prompted Turkish officials to look for pistachio imports in response to the significant surge in demand, even though Türkiye is already one of the world's top pistachio producers.

According to a recent report by the semi-official Anadolu News Agency, to satisfy the rise in local demand for pistachios, the Ministry of Trade has begun assessing the situation and exploring avenues to facilitate imports from neighboring Syria, another big producer for pistachios.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)